ISLAMABAD: The accountability court will record today (Monday) statements of two prosecution witnesses against Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, who was indicted on a graft reference on September 27. The witnesses, whose statements will be recorded by the accountability court judge Muhammad Bashir today are: Masoodul Ghani of Habib Bank and Abdul Rahman Gondal of Allied Bank. These witnesses will be produced before the court by the prosecution team of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). This would be Dar’s seventh appearance in the court. NAB has submitted a list of 28 witnesses against Dar before the court. So far, statements of three witnesses have been recorded. Earlier, on October 18, the court had adjourned the hearing without conducting any proceedings due to absence of Dar’s lead counsel Khawaja Haris Ahmad. Expressing dismay over the absence of Khawaja Haris, the court had directed that he must ensure his presence at the next hearing. The court was informed by a junior member of Dar’s legal team that her client’s senior counsel Khawaja Haris was abroad and would be available on October 25. The court then had called Dar to the rostrum and inquired why his counsel did not turn up. Dar stated that his counsel had no intention to go abroad. However, he had to leave due to an emergency. The court was then informed that Khawaja Haris will return on Sunday (Oct 22). However, he would be engaged on October 23-24 in the Lahore High Court in pursuance of his cases. Thus the hearing might be adjourned till October 25. The judge, however, directed the lead counsel to ensure his presence on October 23. The NAB prosecutor had criticised the absence of Dar’s counsel, contending that he was not committed to the case and was using delaying tactics to prolong it, besides taking it for granted. Dar’s legal team, however, rejected the contentions of NAB’s prosecutor and requested the court to record the statements of prosecution witnesses. The judge then had noted that as per law, the statement of a witness and his cross-examination should be conducted on the same day. When the judge had asked an associate lawyer of Khawaja Haris to cross examine the witnesses, he said that he had obtained the permission of the lead counsel in this regard. Earlier on October 16, the court had rejected a request by Ishaq Dar, seeking exemption from personal appearance during the hearing of the graft reference against him. NAB had filed a graft reference against Finance Minister Ishaq Dar on the Supreme Court’s July 28, 2017 orders in the Panama Papers case. Dar is accused of having assets beyond his known and declared sources of income. Published in Daily Times, October 23rd 2017.